VW’s Multifunction Display (or “Driver Information Display“) is where you can see everything your VW has to tell you about its condition.

We aim to help you get an understanding of what Multifunction Display shows and how to navigate it.

This information applies to newer VW models, 2012-2018, including the fine new Golf Alltrack. (Shameless plug there because we have one!)

Multifunction Display – top-level pages

Your VW Is Saying Something

Think of the Multifunction Display as a collection of messages about warnings (seldom) or information (always). It’s not where you adjust any settings, that’s for the Infotainment system, but rather where you can quickly see what’s going on in your VW.

You page through them using the controls on the steering wheel. See below:

Multifunction Display – how to use the steering wheel buttons to get to the page you want

Use the Left Page/Right Page button circled in blue above to cycle through the five Parent pages. Use the up/down button circled in orange above to move through the Child pages within any Parent page.

In some cases in Driving Data, the information available to display is more than the Parent/Child hierarchy can show, so Grandchild pages become available. Grandchild pages are cycled by pressing the OK button, circled in green in the illustration above.

Here are the five top-level Multifunction Display items (Parents), in order:

Driving Data

Driving Data page in the VW Multifunction Display

Driving Data is the most complex but the most useful of the Multifunction Display pages. It holds information like fuel economy (MPG), average speed, distance travelled, driving time, oil temperature, current speed, and more.

Navigation/Compass

Information displays for the navigation system (if equipped). When route guidance is active, turn arrows and proximity bars similar to the symbols shown in the navigation system are displayed.

If navigation is not equipped, it shows a 3D compass with the car image pointed in whatever direction it’s currently facing.

Audio

Audio page in the VW Multifunction Display

You guessed it! Audio page shows… what’s playing. How did you know?! Station display or station list in radio mode.

Telephone

Telephone page in the VW Multifunction Display

Information about the connected telephone.

Vehicle Status

Vehicle Status page in the VW Multifunction Display

Current warning and information messages.

This menu item only appears when warning or information messages are available. We’ve never seen any messages in it in the 2017 Alltrack test-ship. Zero, none, nada.

And That’s How You Pick Up What Your VW’s Putting Down

That’s the Driving Information Display, from a “10,000 foot view”. Later this week we’ll post about the Driving Data parent and its children and grandchildren. The rest don’t need much explanation, but Driving Data has more information than all the others combined, so it deserves its own post.

It was a great car, except for the engine, which I speak about in my 2010 Jetta forum post here. Never has a decent car been let down by its engine like this combo. I would have welcomed any of the several other engines offered this year, even the less powerful 4-cylinder. At least then one can chip it.

VW’s famed Jetta model now gets a 1.4 turbo-four that pushes the horsepower needle to 150, up from a stingy 115. Torque goes up to a punchy 184 lb-ft. Much better.

A manual is the standard transmission, and an automatic is available. The auto has a tall 6th gear for low revs and better economy during highway cruising.

The suspension is now 4-wheel independent on all Jettas. In the past, this nicer suspension was reserved for the higher-end Jetta GLI, a decision we always thought was odd.

Sadly, the suspension generosity doesn’t carry over to the wheels, which on base models are steel, with hubca… er, “wheel covers”.

The Jetta currently rides on VW’s PQ35 platform, not the newer MQB. It’s hard to imagine this current Jetta as more than a stopgap car until the MQB Jetta arrives. The expansive Golf line rolls with MQB, and has drawn raves.